Leo Terrell facts for kids

Leo James Terrell, born on February 1, 1955, is an American lawyer and talk radio host from Los Angeles, California. He is known for appearing on TV shows like Hannity and The O'Reilly Factor. Mr. Terrell was a member of the Democratic Party until July 2020, when he announced his support for President Donald Trump. He then became a member of the Republican Party. He calls himself "Leo 2.0" and says he is happier as a Republican. In January 2025, President-elect Donald Trump announced he plans to appoint Mr. Terrell to a senior role in the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice.

Education and Early Career

Leo Terrell finished high school at Gardena High School in 1972. He then went to California State University, Dominguez Hills, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977. After college, Mr. Terrell taught history, geography, and economics to high school students at Gage Middle School. He also earned a master's degree in education from Pepperdine University. Later, he studied law at the UCLA School of Law to become a lawyer.

Radio Career

On June 3, 1996, Leo Terrell started co-hosting a weekday talk show called Terrell & Katz on KMPC radio in Los Angeles. His co-host was former judge Burton Katz. Their show was a "point-counterpoint" program, where Mr. Terrell shared a liberal viewpoint and Mr. Katz shared a conservative one.

Later, the show moved to weekends on KABC radio. Mr. Terrell continued to host a weekend legal show on KABC until 2010. He also often appeared as a guest host for KABC's The Peter Tilden Show. In July 2021, he returned to KABC with a new daily show called Leo 2.0 Live @ 5.

Legal Career

Leo Terrell became a member of the State Bar of California on December 4, 1990. This means he officially became a licensed lawyer in California.

He served as the Chairman of the Black-Korean Alliance. He was also an advisory board member for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This group works to prevent unfair treatment in workplaces. Mr. Terrell was also part of the Statewide Commission Against Hate Crimes. In 1998, he wrote a book called Your Rights at the Workplace--The Things Your Boss Won't Tell You.

Mr. Terrell joined the NAACP in 1990. The NAACP is a civil rights organization. He did free legal work for them. Later, he supported a judge named Carolyn Kuhl, who was nominated for a high court position. The NAACP disagreed with this nomination. Because of this disagreement, Mr. Terrell left the NAACP. He said the organization was "bullying" him. The NAACP said he was not speaking for them when he took a different position.

Mr. Terrell has often shared his legal and political opinions on TV and radio. He has appeared on shows like Nightline, Larry King Live, Hannity & Colmes, and The O'Reilly Factor. He also gave expert legal comments about the civil trial of O. J. Simpson, as he was a family friend.

In 2003, Mr. Terrell ran for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council. He finished fifth among the candidates.

On January 21, 2025, Mr. Terrell was nominated to be Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. He has stated that he plans to take legal action against antisemitism at universities.

Notable Cases and Advocacy

Mr. Terrell has been involved in several important cases and public advocacy efforts:

• In 1995, he represented Kumasi Simmons, a former football player. Simmons was expelled from school for hitting a referee and claimed the referee used racist words. Mr. Terrell said the police tried to scare away witnesses who could support Simmons's claim.
• In 1999, Mr. Terrell asked the Los Angeles police commission to listen to witnesses. These witnesses said a homeless woman was running when police officers shot her.
• In 2012, Mr. Terrell asked for an investigation into bad behavior by trainees of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.